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Malta: Day 4: Buskett Gardens, Laferla Cross, Dingli Cliffs and Mdina

When asking the question, "What is Malta famous for?", the most generic answer we can provide is: sun, sea, and beautiful beaches. There's so much more to Malta than golden sands and blue waves, but it's undeniable that Malta's beautiful coast is one of the Mediterranean's most stunning landscapes. With Nada we visited gardens and cliffs around Dingli and for the end, the island's capital from antiquity to the medieval period.

Previous days of our trip to Malta: Day 3,  Day 2 and Day 1.

 

The bus took us to Ħad-Dingli

Start of our hiking trail

Garbage management has always been a pressing issue in many Maltese localities.

 

Towards the St. Nicholas and Santa Lucia chapel.

Everything for a good photo of Verdala Palace

Verdala Palace was built in 1586 during the reign of Hugues Loubenx de Verdalle, and it now serves as the official summer residence of the President of Malta.

 

The Buskett Gardens are forming one of the few woodland areas in Malta. The gardens know their origins at least since the post-Roman Republic period and in which sexual celebrations in honor of their gods were traditional. When Eastern Christianity took root in Malta, this pagan feast was replaced by the Christian celebrations of St. Peter and St. Paul.

 

The gardens contain broadleaved deciduous woodland, native coniferous woodland, with sclerophyllous garrigue and maquis shrubland, as well as groves of fruit trees. Many different trees and shrubs grow in the gardens, including numerous fruit-bearing trees.

Misraħ Għar il-Kbir (Ghar il-Kbir is Maltese for the Great Cave)

Verdala Palace is supposedly haunted by the "Blue Lady", a niece of Grand Master de Rohan. She was supposed to marry a particular suitor who she did not like, and he imprisoned her in her room in the palace. She tried to escape from a window but fell to her death. Her ghost is reportedly seen roaming the palace, wearing the same blue dress she wore when she died.

Our next destination was soon revealed - Laferla Cross.

The landmark that tops Gholja tas-Salib hill, traces its history back to 1904, when the original construction was built by Ġanni Mercieca from Naxxar on the initiative of reverend Pawl Laferla. The clergyman proposed to erect the cross for celebrating Holy Year and later the monument was named after the architect of the concept.

Laferla cross is an impressive composition of a 16-meter iron cross standing on a huge limestone pedestal, inside of which a small chapel is hidden.

The South part of the island is quite green and rural

View to Filfla, a small, mostly barren, uninhabited islet 5 kilometres south of Malta, and is the most southerly point of the Maltese Archipelago. The name is believed to come from felfel , the Arabic for a peppercorn.

Annunciation Chapel

 

Approaching the cliffs

 

The Cliffs are massively wide and they stretch for more than 2 kilometers from Bahrija and to Munqar.

Finally - selfie

 

Dingli is part of the highest land mass in Malta, some 200 metres above sea level.

Panorama from the edge

Dingli Cliffs

The view from this location includes the islet of Filfla, a nature reserve, that contains faunal and floral endemic species. Up to a few years ago, this islet was a shooting target for the British Military to test the accuracy of its equipment and to train personnel. The size of Filfla was reduced drastically through this practice.

Monkey business on the cliff

Warm sunny day in december

Some caves on the edges and on the cliff face served as hideaways for the same purpose. The farmers used to climb or descend into the caves by means of ladders, pull them in during the night and disguise the entrance with rubble walls or tree branches. Some with easier access were permanently inhabited and later on used as shelters for herds.

Beer time

 

Dingli Cliffs and the surrounding areas are home to a tremendous diversity of flora and many of the 1100 species found in the Maltese Islands are recorded in the surrounding areas.

The highest point among all the islands of Malta is situated here – 253 meters above sea level - Ta' Dmejrek.

The highest point is equipped with antennas.

Despite challenging conditions for agriculture on such landscape, local people found ways to develop it.

The cliffs can be seen as natural forts, since no attacker can approach the island from the West given their impressive height.

Buskett Gardens - Laferla - Dingli Cliffs

 

Mdina (L-Imdina) also known by its titles Città Vecchia or Città Notabile, is a fortified city which served as the island's capital from antiquity to the medieval period.

 

The city was founded as Maleth in around the 8th century BC by Phoenician settlers, and was later renamed Melite by the Romans. Ancient Melite was larger than present-day Mdina, and it was reduced to its present size during the Byzantine or Arab occupation of Malta.

 

St. Paul's Cathedral or the Mdina Cathedral was founded in the 12th century, and according to tradition it stands on the site of where Roman governor Publius met St. Paul following his shipwreck on Malta.

 

The original cathedral was severely damaged in the 1693 Sicily earthquake, so it was dismantled and rebuilt in the Baroque style to a design of the Maltese architect Lorenzo Gafà between 1696 and 1705. The cathedral is regarded as Gafà's masterpiece.

The first cathedral which stood on the site is said to have been dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, but it fell into disrepair during the Arab period (the churches in Melite were looted after the Aghlabid invasion in 870).

View to the densely inhabited north part of Malta

 

Exploring the streets of Mdina

The Corte Capitanale is a former courthouse in Mdina, which currently serves as a city hall. The courthouse incorporates some prison cells and dungeons, which had been built in the 16th century. The building is also linked to a loggia known as Herald's Loggia, from which town criers used to announce decrees to the people.

Appetizer

They call it the shop that never closes. This traditional little bar on the outskirts of Rabat has been around for over 100 years. The freshly baked pastizzi attract a number of locals and tourists and with Nada we were not an exception.

  

Dinner at home after a long day - soup, pastizzi, beer and pasta

GeoCaches found (all received a visit by trackable items "gran san bernardo", TB84C9J, "De reiziger", TB6R4VV and "FarmtagZ klompendans", TB6BAG2):

- The Ring of Clapham Junction, GCHEQ7

- Girgentina, GC48364

- Il-Qasma, Mystery, GC4CP95